Na Na Naa

I’m back. It’s been a while, been very busy with University related stuff. Still am really, just been getting urges to write more blogs so I’ve had a few ideas in my head. But after listening to What a Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy on numerous occasions on my mp3 player, I remembered the beauty of a Na Na Na song.

A good usage of some na na na’s in a song can be epic and inspiring but most importantly – very catchy and easy to sing a long to. Now some may see na na nas as lazy song writing but I disagree. Get a na na na right and you can have a classic on your hands that can become an anthem for the fans. So here are my top 5 na na na songs….

5. The Memory Remains – Metallica

This isn’t a typical usage of the na na na in a song as it doesn’t sound as happy and joyous as usual. Its a sad na na na with the chilling refrain provided by Marianne Faithfull making an excellent if a little downbeat song. However, on the live CD, S&M, it becomes an anthem and that is because of one thing, the na na na.

4. All Around the World – Oasis

This is Oasis attempt at being the Beatles #75. Always trying to emulate the Beatles does have its perks though including getting to make expansive 8 minute songs with a na na na (Hey Jude anyone). The na na na here is extremely well utilized though and is always tempting to sing along to and will always make you feel happy when doing so. Be Here Now is slightly underrated in my opinion, this song alone should have made the album a classic.

3. What a Catch, Donnie – Fall Out Boy

The song which inspired me to ramble on about na na na songs in the first place but this first attempt at a ballad according to Pete Wentz is a tour de force. This song would probably be brilliant without the na na na but using the na na na nice and egotistically (not sure if that’s a word) over various people singing their previous hits is genius. It gives you 2 different things to sing-along to at the same time. All in all this is a great ballad though, that has to be said.

2. Somewhere – The Subways

Having been a fan of na na na songs long before this album came out, I was pleasantly surprised to hear such a good na na na song from a little know band. Na na na’s are usually saved for the big boys in search of a rousing ballad. But this heavier version of a na na na song is brilliant and the build to the amazing ending is equally as exciting. One of my favourite songs of all time by one of my favourite bands.

1. Hey Jude – The Beatles

There couldn’t be any other song at the top of this list could there really. Whenever I discuss this topic with friends or family this is pretty much the only one everyone comes up with. That in itself is testament to Paul McCartney’s ability to bring it out any time there’s a big concert on TV at the Palace or Live 8 for instance. It is definitely a song that fills you with hope and happiness as a na na na song should and by God does everyone love to sing-along to it. Therefore it effortlessly ticks the two na na na boxes making it the best and perfect na na na song.

Now everyone sing-along – Naaaaa, naaaa, naaaa, na na na na!

Post song – Falling Down (A Monstouros Psychedelic Remix) – Oasis

January

 

To update, I have been very busy recently, being a university student; I had (a lot of) exams in January which kept me away from the blog world. But to quote Bender Bending Rodriguez – ‘I’m Back, Baby’!! Hopefully, I should be able to blog a bit more frequently keeping everyone updated with the random musings of my mind.

To kick off the comeback I thought I would review the last month in the usual countdown form. Everything here is my opinion only, as in I’m not going to suggest which movies were the best of the month when I have only seen the one etc.

 

10. The return of Gladiators (UK)

The new format of the Gladiators TV show, which re-debuted last year was an excellent reinvention in my eyes. So I was thrilled when it came back for a second series earlier in January. The new Gladiators added (Goliath, Warrior, Siren & Cyclone) are all pretty intense but especially the mammoth; Goliath who is just so scary and dominating. Shame he can’t win a game at the moment except for duel!

9. Tommy Reilly wins T4s Orange Unsigned Act

I, for one, really enjoy the Unsigned Act TV programme and the new and exciting music that it showcases. This years competition was really enjoyable but there was one standout man from the first audition. Fortunately Jo Whiley saw sense after mistakenly kicking him out at the first hurdle, and reinstated him. After that point he went from strength to strength and was a deserving winner singing beautiful folk/pop, with lyrics right from the soul and a breathtaking innocent voice made him a crowd favourite. I am expecting big things from this man… I mean boy, but if Gimme A Call is the only song he ever produces I would still be satisfied. Tommy’s Myspace

8. Fall Out Boy – Folie a Deux

I acquired this album after reading a lukewarm review in a popular musical magazine and so was not expecting massive things after they’re excellent sophomore album. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the result and there are plenty of highlights on the album which make it a decent listen; 27, Tiffany Blews and lead single I Don’t Care for example. I doubt it will go down as a classic and I don’t know if I’ll see it as one of the albums of the year come December but it has certainly been a good listen.

7-1 After the jump

What I’m Looking Forward to in 2009

Now there may be a lot of things that people are anticipating or getting excited about for the year to come but here are the things I am most looking forward to seeing in film, music and a bit of sport.

Film

2009 looks set to be an exciting year for film with some huge releases and some other slightly more cult-like films also set to make a big bang. Now I’m not a huge film watcher and usually haven’t seen the films people expect me to have seen, so if I miss out a film then that’s either down to naivety in terms of not knowing the film or the fact it may be big or just that I don’t think it will be particularly good when others might. But these are the films I’m looking forward to seeing in 2009;

• The Wrestler: I know this film will be released worldwide very soon but I am getting quite excited about seeing it. It looks to be quite a gritty tale of the way the wrestling business worked back in the day with thoroughly likable characters. As I have said before, I don’t know many films and so am not too familiar with Mickey Rourke’s or Darren Aronofsky’s work and so I go into this without any preemptions of Mickey Rourke. Considering the film is about a topic which I like, Wrestling, which doesn’t have many movies made about it and the fact that the film is getting a lot of buzz and even thoughts of possible Oscar nominations, then I am extremely excited.
• Inglorious Basterds (or however they spell it in the end): There isn’t a lot of information on this yet as it isn’t released for a while but I have to say Quentin Tarantino is one of my favourite directors, if not my absolute favourite so I myself am anticipating something glorious. A couple of big name stars (Brad Pitt, Mike Myers etc.) alongside the unimitable stylings of a Quentin Tarantino film look like make this a pretty big hit. Tarantino’s last outing; Death Proof (Grindhouse) was not massively well received and is a bit of a cult movie which I, myself actually like quite a bit (maybe not as much as Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, released as the second part of Grindhouse). I don’t believe Inglorious Basterds will turn out as this kind of cult hit but even if it does, I still have a feeling it will be to my taste on the whole.
• Bruno: This one looks set to be another groundbreaker much like Borat. I never had as much affection to Bruno in the previous Ali G series’, however, the uproar that Sacha Baren Cohen seems to have been making in the last year filming for this movie are sure to make for an uncomfortable, cringe-worthy yet no doubt a hilarious second look in to the mindset of certain sections of society.
• The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus: Now I’m not going to admit to knowing a hell of a lot about the story of this film. But what I do know, is that the film will be a sad epitaph to Heath Ledger’s untimely death. However, there are many other factors which will make this a really interesting and good film. After reading on Wikipedia barely five minutes ago, I found out that the director of this film will be Terry Gilliam; one of the Monty Python lot which I didn’t  know before but should hopefully make it into a decent watch. The cast is also not something not too be sniffed at which includes Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrel in the main role as replacements for Heath Ledger after his death. And for any fans of Big Brother (UK) out there, it also stars the little legend: Verne Troyer!

Other films that I am also looking forward to and look set to be big hits include ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ which, on the previous instalments of the Harry Potter franchise, should be another excellent film. ‘Watchmen’ could be another great graphic-novel/comic book crossover into film and has a lot of people raving and excited about it already. Lastly, the return of ‘Star Trek’ should also be quite an interesting one. I’m not the biggest Trek fan but the cast looks to be an interesting line-up and Sylar as Spok will be entertaining.

2009 in music and sport after the jump………

2008: A Musical Review

As promised, maybe a couple of day late, this is my review of last year in terms of music. So lets get down to business:

Top 10 Albums of 2008

10.  The Nightwatchman – A Fabled City

Now I’m not usually one for Folk music, but there’s something about the mix of Tom Morello’s inspiring lyrics alongside his not-so-inspiring voice and amazing guitar mastery that make me feel all warm inside. Yes, Tom Morello is not the greatest singer of all time, but tracks such as Saint Isabelle and The Iron Wheel are enough to make anyone want to rage against …… the machine?!

9. Dan le Sac ft. Scroobius Pip – Angles

After seeing this righteous combination at Reading festival in 2007 I was hooked and was anticipating an album by the fearsome duo. And like a bolt out of the blue, said album appeared and was a hit in my eyes. The emotions felt and expressed in this album by Mr. Pip are widespread and every one heartfelt. Song like Look for The Woman and Magicians Assistant make you want to cry whereas Thou Shalt Always Kill is a thumping, clever view on modern culture.

8. Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads

Much like the Kaisers last effort, this album passed by with not too much fanfare, but as before, the album proved to be full of hidden little gems. It takes a couple of listens to get fully in to some of the album. But you soon realise that the Kaisers (with the help of a certain Mr Ronson) are back to their anthemic, football stadium best on Addicted to Drugs and Never Miss a Beat, taking the misguided youth of today along with them. The 2 guest appearances Lily Allen and Sway also add another dimension to this which separates the album from their first 2 outings.

7. Razorlight – Slipway Fires

As I mentioned in my first blog; I like Razorlight. There, I said it, hate me if you want and hate them as well, but at your own peril. I can’t quite figure out who likes Razorlight anymore, so liking this album feels all the more exclusive to me and its a disappointment as there are some brilliant moments on here that either draw comparisons to their former lyrical exuberance (Monster Boots) or to much bigger acts such as Simon & Garfunkel on Wire to Wire and Burberry Blue Eyes. The standout track though has to be the almost power ballad like Stinger.

6. Kings of Leon – Only By The Night

This is pretty much a given on anyone’s favourite albums of the last year. However, I wasn’t so hot on it when it initially came out. Sure, its got the usual Kings of Leon mix of great tunes for rocking out to (Crawl) as well the usual stadium rock (Sex on Fire & Use Somebody) but it was this desire to make it a stadium filling album that made it a bit cold. But when I saw them play the album in December, this album shot up in my expectation and the grandiose nature of the album made sense. This is the album that takes them from almost big to one of the truly massive rock bands of this era.

Top 5 after the jump….

A Quick Intro

Hello everyone,

My name is Nick and welcome to my blog. I’m new to the blogging world so be gentle but I have just been getting pangs to write a blog to show my thoughts on the world. The reasoning behind doing this was the desire to write a blog/review of my favourite things of the year such as albums or films. So in general, I’ll be writing lists of things so let me know what your thoughts are on any of the lists I conjure up.

I thought I’d start of by mentioning a few things I like (meaning the likelihood of people finding this blog through google is much higher !!).

I like: Liverpool FC, Foo Fighters, The Subways (not the underground passageways; the band!!), Wrestling, Cool Runnings, Soccer AM, Johnny Cash, Kings of Leon, Cricket, Red Wine, Oasis, Razorlight (don’t hate me!!), XBoxing, Family Guy, Strictly Come Dancing (as a guilty pleasure of course ), School of Rock, The Colbert Report, Michael McIntyre, Tennis, Queens of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Starsky & Hutch, Mock the Week, Neighbours, Many other sports, Kettle Chips …. to name but a few

You will probably notice a fair few musical preferences in there which brings me to what my first proper post will be. I’ll be reviewing the year just gone in music and listing my favourite albums and that blog should appear within the next couple of days….

Thanks for reading, stick around ….